Team Dobe
by Herpestidae
Summary: A newly promoted jounin, Naruto faces the final obstacle on his road to becoming Hokage: being a jounin-sensei. Purposely given two students who who've flunked the academy, Naruto must make competent shinobi out of them if he ever wants to realize his dream. Future!Naruto fic, with OCs


A/N: Hello! This is just an introduction and some general warnings:

This is really just supposed to be a fun little romp in Shinobiville, not an overly serious work, so I won't stick completely to canon with much. I'm nowhere near caught up with the anime, anyway, but I still have approximate knowledge of the major plot points in the series. So if something doesn't add up to canon, that's the reason why. Or I just didn't care.

Be aware that even though this is Naruto's story, I will be using original characters to help things along, because. Also, please don't be shy in suggesting scenarios and potential missions for Naruto's genin team. I'll also need some ideas for ninja enemies in various settings. This is NOT a "submit your character" thing, however, so don't leave reviews that are a full profile of a character. I'm just trolling for ideas.

With that said, let us begin!

* * *

Naruto had held many titles in his 21 years of life. That Demon Boy. Dead Last. Number-One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja. But the title he would receive today, simple though it was, was all the more meaningful to him. He was one step closer to his dream.

"Uzumaki Naruto. For your dedication to your village, bravery in battle, and strength of will, I confer upon you the title of Jounin."

Excitedly, he leapt over the Hokage's desk, arms spread wide and ready to wrap around his village leader. "Baa-chan!"

Tsunade stopped him in midair with a finger to the forehead. "That's enough of that." With a nudge, she sent him flying backward to crash into the wall.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off, still grinning despite his rough handling. "So does this mean I can become the Hokage now?"

Tsunade sighed. She had been prepared for this. "No, unfortunately. At this time, I cannot in good faith not consider you a suitable candidate for Hokage."

Naruto's face fell. "What do you mean? I'm a strong ninja! I'm elite now!"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi are also elite shinobi. Could you see either of _them_ as Kage?"

Naruto considered the possibility and could only grimace.

"Exactly," Tsunade continued. "I have no doubt as to your strength and power. You have saved this village many times over, and your name is known all throughout the world. And neither do I doubt that you would stop at nothing to defend Konoha. But there is something you lack. I do not believe that you are a good enough leader."

"What? How can you say that? I lead armies into battle all the time!"

"Armies of people who think like you, act like you, and can do everything that you can. But when it comes to leading missions with other shinobi, you often come dangerously close to failure."

"Then let me make it up to you! Put me on an A-Rank mission and I'll–"

"No. I have a better idea. You will be assigned a genin team from this year's graduating class. When you have groomed all three of them to be promoted the rank of Chuunin, I will deem you a capable leader, and officially name you my successor."

"Really? That'll be a piece of cake for sure! I accept!"

Tsunade smiled. "Your team will consist of students who would not have otherwise graduated."

It took a second for the comment to register. Then the smile immediately left Naruto's face, and he leapt up onto the table, his forehead nearly touching the Hokage's. "You mean you're putting me in charge of a team of _failures_!?"

Her expression didn't change. "I seem to recall that you were one such failure. If you can do with them what we've managed to do for you, then it would put my mind at ease."

"Can I at least get _one_ good student?"

Tsunade put a hand to her chin, mulling over the request. "Fine, I'll give you that. you can choose one of the students, but you'll be stuck with the other two at my whim." She slipped a sheet of paper across the table. "These are the names and grades of this year's graduating class. You have a until tomorrow to decide. And no, you will not be allowed to see the students before they graduate. If you are caught within 200 yards of the academy building, you will be disqualified and have to wait for next year's graduates."

* * *

Naruto had spent hours poring over the list of graduating students, seeking the one who was the best match. Most of the higher-ranked students had surnames he recognized- Akiminchi, Aburame, Inuzuka,and even a few Hyuuga- who he assumed were young cousins, or even siblings, of friends he'd graduated with. It would make things easier, if he could get assistance from them. But as he mulled it over, one name kept stood out.

A name he'd never heard before, which probably meant the student was a civilian. He had no secret clan techniques, no shinobi parents to train with, and anything he learned, he probably had to do it on his own. Which made it all the more amazing that he'd managed the absolute highest test grades this year, and he'd practically mastered the three required ninjutsu. Admittedly his taijutsu skills were lacking, but Naruto still found it hard to wrap his head around written examinations, so the last thing he wanted was to teach something he never fully understood anyway. With this knowledgeable student, teaching the other two would be much easier. It was settled then.

"Boeki Osamu, you will be my new student."

* * *

A half mile away, a young boy violently sneezed as he climbed a tree. He froze, hoping he hadn't woken his parents, but it wasn't good enough. A light turned on in his house, and he quickly covered himself with his brown jacket, pressing up against the tree and hoping he blended in enough with the bark. It was night, so it worked even though he wasn't fully underneath it.

He stood still for several minutes watching the shadows play along his bedroom window, until the lights went off, indicating that his parents' search for him turned up fruitless yet again. Then he waited another ten minutes to be sure, then climbed high into the canopy of the tree. From the distance, he scanned his room for the piece of green cloth, that matched exactly with the leaves, before making a hand sign.

"_Kawarimi no Jutsu,_" he whispered.

Instantly, he was in his room, exactly where the cloth was a moment ago. He sighed in relief, pulling his new _hitai-ite_ from his pocket and kissing it. This was his ticket out of here. He'd graduated from the academy. It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it to get away from the terrible people who called themselves his parents. He was lucky he'd managed to trick them into signing the permission form.

He was a legal adult, which meant that once his mission pay started coming in, he could move out of his parents' house. No more poofing in at midnight to avoid being seen. No more having to explain to Sakura-sensei about the "training accidents" that left him bruised. No more having to sneak in to get food from his own fridge.

He just hoped his teammates were at least competent.

* * *

So. That's it for the first chapter. Just a bunch of setup, really. Tell me what you think?


End file.
